Heddle-support devices for weaving looms



Dec. 7, 1965 T. WAGNER HEDDLE-SUPPORT DEVICES FOR WEAVING LOOMS Filed Sept. 50, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.1

THE ODOR WAGNER INVENTOR.

BY Jlzsiuz, To 5' Jlashr:

es. 7, 19% 'r. WAGNER HEDDLE-SUPPORT DEVICES FOR WEAVING LOQMS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 30, 1953 THE ODOR WAGNER INVENTOR.

Dec. 7, 1965 'r. WAGNER HEDDLE-SUPPORT DEVICES FOR WEAVING LOOMS Filed Sept. 30, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Fig.8

THE ODOR WAGNER INVENTOR BY Jfizslenn, jams 8 Jaslam Dec. 7, 1965 T. \YNAGNER 3,22

HEDDLE-SUPPORT DEVICES FOR WEAVING LOOMS Filed Sept. 30, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 THE OD OR WAGNER INVENTOR.

United States Patent 3,221,776 HEDDLE-SURPQRT DEVHCES FOR WEAVING LGGMS Theodor Wagner, Anlberstrasse 34, Reutlingen, Germany Filed Sept. 30, 1963, Ser. No. 312,775 7 Claims. (Cl. 13992) The present invention relates to weaving looms and, more particularly, to adjustable heddle-support devices for carriageor rider-free loom harnesses.

Modern Weaving looms operating with carriage-free harnesses are widely used together with so-called drawing devices for the preparation of the loom in advance of the weaving operation. Conventional harness carriages or riders are not compatible, for the most part, for the heddle hooks employed for threading the harnesses with the yarn since they do not admit of vertical adjustment of the heddle arrays in order to accommodate the drawing mechanism. Thus, it has been proposed heretofore to provide the heddle array, via its heddle-carrying rail, with a support element disposed adjacent the rail and connected thereto via suitable adjusting means. Generally, the support element comprises the heald lath or warp stave, this lath being constructed from light metals (i.e. manganese and aluminum alloys) in the most modern looms. In conventional systems, it is necessary to provide the adjusting means by stamping or otherwise machining the heald lath in order to mount the clamping device in which the adjusting screw is received. In such an arrangement, the heald lath is materially weakened.

Moreover, earlier systems inherently give rise to considerable play between the clamp and the adjusting screw, requiring frequent repair or replacement especially when the loom is subject to considerable vibration. Since such earlier mechanisms were offset from the plane of force transmission, considerable torque developed at the junction of the adjusting devices with the heald lath, and breakage was frequent.

It is, therefore, the principal object of the present invention to provide an improved heddle-support device for a weaving loom wherein the disadvantages mentioned above can be obviated.

A further object of this invention is to provide an adjustable coupling between the heddle-carrying rail of a loom harness and a support element (e.g. the heald lath of this harness) therefor in which any tendency to develop play is reduced.

These objects are attained, in accordance with the present invention, by providing a heddle-support rail and a support element, i.e. a heald lath, which extend parallel to one another and are coupled by adjustable connecting means, this connecting means including an interally threaded sleeve, lying substantially in the plane of the heddle-carrying rail, and resiliently compressible clamping means on the support element embracing the sleeve so as to permit its rotation but prevent any play from developing even when the harness is subjected to strong vibrations. The internally threaded sleeve receives a spindle affixed to the rail and is formed with an annular bulge adjacent the lower edge of the heald lath, the clamping means providing a socket tightly embracing the bulge so as to prevent vertical or lateral shifting of the sleeve.

The heald lath can be a profiled member composed of a light metal, as mentioned above, with the rotatable sleeve passing centrally thereto, the heald lath having a reinforcing web along its lower edge which is interrupted at the rotatable sleeve so as to form a recess clearing the bulge. According to a further feature of this invention, the clamping means, which can be injection-molded around the sleeve but preferably is bifurcated so as to engage along its opposite faces, bridges the interrupted web so as to reinforce the heald lath at the region of the adice justing means. The latter is provided on the heald lath proximal to the lower edge and in the plane of force transfer so that no torque is established which would tend to loosen the adjusting mechanism.

The coupling means for joining the plate to the rail cooperates with a longitudinally extending slot in the rail, this slot having an enlargement at one end thereof. A resiliently compressible element which, like the clamping means engaging the internally threaded sleeve may be composed of a compressible synthetic resin (e.g. a polyamide), has a neck portion extending perpendicularly to the plate and tightly receivable within the slot by a head formed on the neck portion remote from the plate, is adapted to pass through the enlargement for engagement with the rail along a side thereof opposite that along which the plate extends. The plate can also be firmly engaged from opposite sides by the clamping means so that any tendency toward self-loosening in the device is eliminated.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily ap parent from the following description, reference being made to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary elevational view, partly broken away, of a heald lath or stave and the heddle-support rail adjustably aifixed thereto, according to the invention, of a carriageor rider-free weaving loam;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the support device for the heddle rail;

FIG. 4 is a detail view of a portion of the heald lath;

FIG. 5 is an elevational view of the rail with the adjustable supporting device removed;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the coupling means joining the heddle-carrying rail to the heald lath;

FIG. 7 is an elevational view of another portion of the heddle-support rail with the heddle thereof omitted for clarity but wherein a sag-preventing strut and its coupling means is shown;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VIIIVIII of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is an exploded view, partly in cross-section of the latter coupling means;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the coupling means of FIG. 9; and

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary perspective view of an idealized loom incorporating the instant invention.

Referring first to FIG. 11 wherein the harness portion of a weaving loom is diagrammatically illustrated, it may be seen that the loom, according to the invention, comprises the usual warp beam which carries a supply of warp threads, these threads passing in the usual manner through respective eyes of the hed-dles 121 of a plurality of vertically displaceable harnesses 114, whose heald laths are diagrammatically illustrated at 101; the customary lease rods 112 can be provided to guide the warp threads 111 of loom 100. The usual weft thread can be laid into the warp shed produced by vertical displacement of one or more of the harnesses 114, 115 (only two of which are illustrated) while the reed 116 can be reciprocated in the direction of arrow 118 to beat up the weft and form the fabric 119, the latter being taken upon another beam in the usual manner. In addition to the heald lath 101, each of the heddle assemblies also includes a hed-dle-support rail 107, which carries the planar array of heddles 121 along with the lower rail 107', the heddle-support rails being joined adjustably to the heald lath 101 via members adjustable at 1112, elongated slots being provided in the rails to receive the coupling elements connecting the latter to the heald lath. Each of the heddle assemblies of the broadbeam loom also includes one or more support members for strut 113, intermediate the ends of the heddle array, aifixed to the respective rails 107 at an elongated slot 118 via coupling means 116 diagrammatically illustrated in FIG. 11. Vertical arrows 117 designate the direction of reciprocation of the harnesses 114, 115.

The present invention, as illustrated in FIGS. 16, makes use of a tubular, light-metal heald lath 1 in which the adjusting device is centrally disposed. The heald lath 1, as seen in FIG. 3, is formed with a central cavity 27 and a pair of aligned bores 25, 26 in which an internally threaded sleeve 2 (FIG. 1) can be rotatably received, the heald lath constituting the supporting means to which the rail 7 is joined. At the lower portion of sleeve 2, there is provided an annular bulge 3. A thread-ed rod or spindle 4 is received within the interior of the sleeve and is affixed to a support plate 5 which carries the coupling means 6 connecting the heddle-support rail 7 to the heald lath A slot 8, longitudinally extending in the support rail 7, removably receives the coupling means 6 as will be described in greater detail hereinafter.

A bipartite clamp 9, 10 forms a socket for the bulge 3 (FIG. 3) and is seated against the lower flanged web 11 of the heald lath 1, an upper flanged web 11 being also provided. The upper flanged web is broken away to define a recess 28 into which a screwdriver can be inserted into engagement with sleeve 2 for rotating same to adjust the distance between the heddle-support rail 7 and the heald lath 1. A similar recess 29 in the lower web 11 clears bulge 3 and permits the latter to rotate within the socket formed by the clamp halves 9, 10. The latter are composed of a resilient synthetic resin (e.g. a polyamide such as nylon) and are drawn tightly against bulge 3 by rivets or bolts 30, the clamp halves 9, 10 hearing resiliently against the sleeve 2 and the support plate 5 so that there is no play in either of these elements; the socket formed by clamp 9, 10 prevents vertical displacement of sleeve 2. It should be noted that clamp 9, 14) of the connecting means can also be injection-molded directly around bulge 3 and plate 5 as well as around the flange web 11 if desired. Since the clamping portion is disposed directly below the heald lath 1, substantially no torque develops at the junction between it and the clamp so that there is little tendency for the clamp to loosen and develop undesirable play. Moreover, the clamp 9, 10 and the web 11 form an integral system reinforcing the light-metal heald lath 1, all the weakening of the latter, as prevalent in earlier systems being avoided.

The coupling means 6, resiliently connecting support plate 5 to rail 7, comprises an enlarged head 6' adapted to pass through the enlargement 8 of the slot formed in this rail, the head 6' being provided upon the neck portion 6" of the clamping element remote from the support plate 5, and an elongated portion 6a adapted to bear against a surface of the rail 7 remote from the head. In assembling the harness, the coupling element 6 is aflixed to plate 5 via rivets or bolts 61;, the head 6 then being passed through the enlargement 8 and the rail 7 being shifted longitudinally so that a narrow portion 8 of the slot tightly engages the resiliently compressible neck 6" whose width is advantageously slightly in access of the width of the narrow portion 8' of the slot prior to such assembly. Moreover, the length of the neck 6", i.e. the distance between the juxtaposed faces head 6' and elongated portion 6", is preferably slightly less than the thickness of the rail 7 in the region of the slot 8, 8' so that the rail is clamped between the head and the elongated portion under resilient compression. The elongated portion 6a of the coupling element bears against rail 7 over substantially the entire length of the narrow portion 8 of the slot, the elongated portion of the element having a width in excess of that of the slot so that even excessive vibration of the harness will not result in chattering of the coupling.

As illustrated in FIGS. 7-10, the heddle-support rail 7 is also provided with an intermediate strut 13 in a manner similar to that by which the support plate 5 is joined to this rail. Thus, at one or more locations intermediate its extremities, the rail 7 is provided with a slot having an enlarged portion 18 and a relatively narrow portion 18', the slot extending longitudinally along the rail. The strut or support stave 13 is provided with a plate 15 upon which the coupling element 16 is mounted. The coupling eiement 16 comprises an enlarged head 16 integral with a neck portion 16" and an elongated portion Ida, the entire element being mounted upon plate 15 by suitable rivets 16b which pass through bores 16d in the coupling element and apertures in plate 15. As is the case with the coupling element 6, element 16 is composed of a resiliently compressible synthetic resin (e.g. nylon) and so dimensioned that the neck 16 has a diameter slightly in excess of the Width of slot portion 18 while the spacing between head 16' and elongated portion 16a is slightly less than the Wall thickness of rail 7, so that coupling element 16 can be forced into the slot and is held there under resilient compression. Strut 13 is preferably bifurcated to reduce any possibility that the plate 15, welded thereto, will loosen in use. The strut 13 can be removaoly mounted upon the heddle-suppor-t rail 7 by inserting the head 16 of coupling element 16 into the enlarged portion 13 of the slot and sliding it longitudinally (i.e. to the right in FIG. 7) until the neck portion 16" is tightly received within the narrow portion 18' of the slot. The resilient character of the coupling element 16 prevents any play from developing in the assembly. The rail 7 can be flanged to enable the heddle to be joined thereto along the lower edge of the rail in a manner not illustrated since any conventional method of mounting the heddle upon the rail can be employed.

The invention described and illustrated is believed to admit of many modifications within the ability of persons skilled in the art, all such modifications being considered within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a heddle support device for a weaving loom, in combination, a longitudinally extending substantially horizontal heddle-carrying rail; a support element disposed adjacent said rail and spaced therefrom in the vertical plane of said rail; and vertically adjustable connecting means securing said rail to said element, said connecting means including an internally threaded sleeve lying substantially in said plan-e journal-ed to said element and passing central therethrough while emerging at a lower edge of said element, resiliently compressible bipartite clamping means on said element at said lower edge embracing said sleeve, said slceve having an annular bulge at said lower edge, said clamping means forming a socket tightly hugging said bul e while permitting rotation of said sleeve, and a spindle affixed to said rail and threadedly received in said sleeve, said elements being formed with a reinforcing web along said lower edge, said web being interrupted in the region of said sleeve to clear said bulge, said clamping means comprising a pair of clamping portions disposed on opposite sides of said element, said clamping portions bridging the interrupted web to reinforce it.

2. In a heddle-support device for a weaving loom, in combination, a longitudinally extending substantially horizontal heddle-carrying rail; a tubular logitudinal support element disposed adjacent said rail and spaced therefrom While extending parallel there to in the vertical plane of said rail; and vertically adjustable connecting means securing said rail to said element, said connecting means including an internally threaded sleeve extending transversely to said element in said plane journaled to said element while passing centrally therethrough and emerging at a lower edge of said element, resiliently compressible clamping means on said element on said lower edge embracing said sleeve, said sleeve having an annular bulge at said lower edge, said clamping means forming a socket tightly hugging said bulge While permitting rotation of said sleeve, and a spindle affixed to said rail and threadedly received in said sleeve, said clamping means comprising a pair of resiliently compressible members extending along said element on opposite sides thereof and retaining said sleeve.

3. The combination defined in claim 2 wherein said clamping means is composed of a synthetic resin.

4. The combination defined in claim 3 wherein said synthetic resin is a polyamide.

5. The combination defined in claim 3 wherein said connecting means includes a plat affixed to said spindle and extending generally parallel to said element, said clamping means resiliently bearing against opposite surfaces of said plate.

6. The combination defined in claim 5 wherein said plate is detachably secured to said rail by a resiliently compressible element.

7. The combination defined in claim 6 wherein said rail is provided with a longitudinally extending slot having an enlargement at one end thereof, said resiliently compressible element having a relatively narrow neck portion extending perpendicularly to said plate and tightly re ceived within said slot under resilient compression, and a head mounted on said neck portion remote from said plate and adapted to pass through said enlargement for engagement with said rail along a side thereof opposite that along which said plate extends.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,912,063 5/1933 Bernstein 13992 2,619,991 12/1952 Kaufmann 139-92 2,700,399 1/ 1955 Pfarrwaller 13992 2,730,137 1/1956 Hassold 139-92 2,845,953 8/1958 Wagner 139-92 3,154,109 10/ 1964 Kaufmann 139--92 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,294,559 4/1962 France.

344,690 3/ 1960 Switzerland.

DONALD W. PARKER, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A HEDDLE SUPPORT DEVICE FOR A WEAVING LOOM, IN COMBINATION, A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL HEDDLE-CARRYING RAIL; A SUPPORT ELEMENT DISPOSED ADJACENT SAID RAIL AND SPACED THEREFROM IN THE VERTICAL PLANE OF SAID RAIL; AND VERTICALLY ADJUSTABLE CONNECTING MEANS SECURING SAID RAIL TO SAID ELEMENT, SAID CONNECTING MEANS INCLUDING AN INTERNALLY THREADED SLEEVE LYING SUBSTANTIALLY IN SAID PLANE JOURNALED TO SAID ELEMENT AND PASSING CENTRAL THERETHROUGH WHILE EMERGING AT A LOWER EDGE OF SAID ELEMENT, RESILIENTLY COMPRESSIBLE BIPARTITE CLAMPING MEANS ON SAID ELEMENT AT SAID LOWER EDGE EMBRACING SAID SLEEVE, SAID SLEEVE HAVING AN ANNULAR BULGE AT SAID LOWER EDGE, SAID CLAMPING MEANS FORMING A SOCKET TIGHTLY HUGGING SAID BULGE WHILE PERMITTING ROTATION OF SID SLEEVE, AND A SPINDLE AFFIXED TO SAID RAIL AND THREADEDLY RECEIVED IN SAID SLEEVE, SAID ELEMENTS BEING FORMED WITH A REINFORCING WEB ALONG SAID LOWER EDGE, SAID WEB BEING 